Posted on 09/27/2007 1:02:05 PM PDT by Dane
Feds Find Gaps in Northern Border
By DEVLIN BARRETT – 17 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A smuggler could easily carry radioactive material or other contraband across the northern border into the United States, government investigators have found.
The Government Accountability Office sent out investigators to test how easily they could transfer large red duffel bags at unguarded and unmonitored spots along the more than 5,000 miles of U.S.-Canada border.
The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, described in a 13-page report to be delivered to Congress on Thursday how easily they were able to penetrate the border at several spots. A copy of the report was obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
"Our work shows that a determined cross-border violator would likely be able to bring radioactive materials or other contraband undetected into the United States by crossing the U.S.-Canada border at any of the locations we investigated," the GAO report concluded.
The investigators tested four northern border states, which they did not identify, and conducted a 10-minute exercise at one site where they set up an exchange of a red duffel bag from one side of the border to another. Some investigators took video and pictures of the exercise.
In that instance, an alert citizen notified border officials, but authorities called to the scene were unable to find the GAO investigators.
It is illegal to cross the border at any place other than an official port of entry.
Investigators said that for security reasons they did not conduct similar tests at the southern border, but they also found gaps there. Investigators who examined the U.S.-Mexico border said they observed a significant number of National Guard troops and Border Patrol personnel while driving on state roads, but found little law enforcement presence on federally managed land.
Customs and Border Protection officials told the GAO "the northern border presents more of a challenge than the southern border."
The report notes that, as of May, there were 972 Border Patrol agents on the northern border, and 11,986 agents on the southern border.
Oops wait a minute, no political demogougery and contributions to be had, never mind.
Really????? Even a high school kid could have told them that. It amazes me how they come up with this stuff. I think they wait until the timing is right to raise taxes so they can protect the border. Maybe they make this stuff up in Hollywood.......ya think?
That should stop them...
However, it's clearly fortuitious that we have the Southern Border locked up tight as a drum!
>WASHINGTON (AP) — A smuggler could easily carry radioactive material or other contraband across the northern border into the United States, government investigators have found.
The Government Accountability Office sent out investigators to test how easily they could transfer large red duffel bags at unguarded and unmonitored spots along the more than 5,000 miles of U.S.-Canada border.<
Meanwhile our Southern borders are known to be fully secured.
One big difference is the fact that Canada isn’t actively smuggling their people into this country.
Northern border more of a problem?
B.S. Most of our problems are caused by illegal Mexican immigrants and unless I failed Geography 101, they come from the south. Is there a stronger phrase for “totally out of touch”?
The hardest thing to get across either of our two borders is a Mexican, and there are like 10 million of them here already. We don’t need a “study” to tell us that. It’s clear that MExico has not interest at all in stopping cross border traffic, but if we want to stop contraband from entering the US through Canada we’ve got to convince the Canadians to give a crap about preventing it from getting to Canada in the first place. Alternatively, there’s always the big huge fence idea.
people that smuggle pot already know this...
where’s captain obvious!
The hardest thing to get across either of our two borders is a Mexican, and there are like 10 million of them here already. We don’t need a “study” to tell us that. It’s clear that MExico has not interest at all in stopping cross border traffic, but if we want to stop contraband from entering the US through Canada we’ve got to convince the Canadians to give a crap about preventing it from getting to Canada in the first place. Alternatively, there’s always the big huge fence idea.
Uh Canada has a huge islamonazi population.
Let me introduce you to the word you are looking for, it is "Dane".
Wow it only took 12 replies before the personal attacks start, trying lamely to divert attention from the article and the political opportunism tom tancredo represents.
no mention that a person with a decent boat can go from any point on the lakes to anywhere on the coast of half a dozen states. not to metion they could float right into chicago.
there’s also teh little problem that there are a couple spots you can snowmobile across the lake during winter.
What can you expect from someone who wants the southern border erased but wants those bloodthirsty Canadians kept in their cages. The last time I saw any numbers on Canadian illegals it was in the range of around 12,000. That’s a tiny fraction of a low estimate of illegals from the south.
There are some issues with our northern border but Canada actually cooperates with us there. Also it’s a lot easier for Habib to cross the border among millions he resembles than to cross with thousands he doesn’t. Look at the LAX bomber. I suspect his middle eastern looks played a bigger part in the border agent’s suspicion than was admitted.
The article is about the terror threat while you are talking about the cultural threat.
Fortunately there is only one gap in the southern border.
It goes from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, but it is only one gap.
Islamophobe? Sounds racist to me.
I was looking for a transcript, but even CBS had a spot last night on the news about the porous southern border. They showed the people who brought in packages that could have been nukes with no problem. You know it’s bad when CBS even gets it.
I don't know about Tom, but here's what Fred had to say.
Do you agree?
Southern Exposure
By Fred Thompson
" We know that the overwhelming majority of illegals come across the Mexican border. Fortunately, we’ve got someone who is all too willing to tell us what we should do about it — the president of Mexico Philipe Calderon. President Calderon doesn’t think much of our border policies. He criticizes our efforts to secure the border with things such as border fencing. He says that bottle necks at U.S. checkpoints hurt Mexican commerce and force his citizens to migrate illegally in order to make a living (and of course send money back to Mexico). He apparently thinks we should do nothing except make American citizens out of his constituents. Calderon also accused U.S. officials of failing to do enough to stop the flow of drugs in to the United States. Mexican politicians gave President Bush an earful of all of this during his recent trip to Mexico.
I think its time for a little plain talk to the leaders of Mexico. Something like:
hey guys, you’re our friends and neighbors and we love you but it’s time you had a little dose of reality. A sovereign nation loses that status if it cannot secure its own borders and we are going to do whatever is necessary to do so, although our policies won’t be as harsh as yours are along your southern border. And criticizing the U.S. for alternately doing too much and too little to stop your illegal activities is not going to set too well with Americans of good will who are trying to figure a way out of the mess that your and our open borders policy has already created.
My friends, it’s also time for a little introspection. Since we all agree that improving Mexico’s economy will help with the illegal-immigration problem, you might want to consider your own left-of -center policies. For example, nationalized industries are not known for enhancing economic growth. Just a thought. But here’s something even more to the point that you might want to think about: What does it say about the leadership of a country when that country’s economy and politics are dependent upon the exportation of its own citizens?
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NjhkYzZiNTAxZjAyZTNjNzkxNjA2ZTNmNDBhNjhlYWU=
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